Insulated terminal



Oct. 25, 1949. E. MOSTHAF 2,485,629

INSULATED TERMINAL Filed March 6, 1948 IN V EN TOR. EDWIN MOSTHAF Bir'iwddloh Armmggs Patented Oct. 25, 1949 TED ES PATENT 1C E INSULATED TERMINAL Edwin Mosthaf, Orange, N. 3., assignor to Steatite Research Corporation, Keasbey, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application March 6, 1948, Serial .No. 13,501

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an insulating terminal. More particularly it relates to an insulated terminal adapted to be attached to and to extend through a wall or similar barrier.

material surrounded and .held together by .an .at-

.taching part, all .of the respective parts being so constructed :as to be easily assembled .and adapt- ;ed to be easily attached to ,a structure.

Another object of the invention is :to provide .a conductor which is well anchored and insulated in insulating material for extending through a Wall :or 9 barrier.

These objects and others ancillary thereto are obtained by providing a conducting rod or tube with an intermediate enlarged portion, by providing a pair of insulating disks which closely fit about the rod or tube and also enclose at least a part of the enlarged portion, and by providing a ferrule 101' ring portion adapted to hold the insulating disks together with the enlarged portion or the conductor between the disk. Preferably also an elastic insulating material is placed between the insulating disks to securely hold the conductor against movement and prevent rattling, chafing of the disks, etc.

The novel features characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the terminal partly in cross-section attached to a wall.

Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the insulating pieces from the inside thereof.

Figure 2A is a side view of the insulated disk, partly in "cross-section.

Figure 3 is an end view of a ferrule.

Figure 3A is a side view of the ferrule before assembling.

all

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the elastic disk.

Figure '5 is a view of .the conductor, partly in cross-section.

As shown in the drawings, the conductor It] comprises an intermediate enlarged portion 1| and the extending end or leg portions 12 and I3. This conductor maybe round in cross-section or polygonal and it may be tubular or solid. In the figure shown it is tubular and the enlarged portion I! approximates the spherical form. One reason that this form of conductor .is preferred .is that it is easy .to enlarge the portion ll of a tube into a spherical form by blowing, for example. .The conductor may .be made of any conducting material such as copper, silver, brass, carbon, etc.

The insulating disks, of which thereare two, 20 and 2!, as shown in Figure 1, comprise .a relatively large .rim portion .22 in which is the relatively large depression .23 adapted to surround about half of the enlarged portion of the conductor. Opposite the depression 23 a wide annular ring 24 containing the orifice .25 which is large enough to receive the end 12 or J3 of the .conductor but too small to prevent passage of the enlarged part H, therethrough. These insulating parts or disks may .be round, squareor polygonal in shape. The material of the disk may be any type of insulating material such as .steatite, glass bonded mica, or other ceramic materials. The may also be made from synthetic resinous materials such as pheon iormaldehyde condensation products, polystyrene, polyethylene, the polymer of tetrafluorethylene, etc. Two disks of the same shape -be and are preferably used for convenience but it is obvious that two pieces of different shape could be employed as long as the depressions 23 cooperate to hold the enlarged part I l of the conductor I.

It is also possible to employ four half disks although there does not appear to be any advantage for this construction. The ferrule or ring of 33 is shown in Figures 3 and 3A as it appears before the terminal is assembled. The ferrule comprises a cylindrical portion 3| and a smaller cylindrical portion 32 connected by a shoulder portion 35. The cylindrical portion 3| is adapted to surround the rims 22 of the insulating disks 2i! and 2t and the said cylindrical portion 3| is long enough so that edge 34 extends beyond the end of the assembled insulating disks 2!] and 2|. In assembling the end 34 is swedged over the rim portion of the disk 2| as shown at 34 in Figure 1. Also the edge 33 of the cylindrical part 32 is long 3 enough so that it can be bent back over a wall as shown at 33 in Figure 1. This ferrule may be made of plastic or ductile material which can be bent and holds its bent shape. Thin sheets of brass, steel and similar metals may be used for the ferrule.

Preferably the space between the two insulating disks and 2| is filled by a relatively elastic material such as rubber, neoprene, other synthetic rubber materials, plasticized polyvinyl compounds, etc. The elastic material may take the form of the disk or washer 40 of Figure 4. This washer 40 serves to prevent the insulating disks 20 and 2| from rubbing each other, permits the tight fit of the ferrule about the insulating disks and holds the conductor l0 against rattling and rotation.

To assemble the terminal of the present invention it is only necessary to thread the disk 40 and one of the insulating disks on the conductor Hi from one end and to thread the other insulating disk onto the conductor l9 from the other end. The ferrule is then slipped over the insulating disks with the shoulder resting against the rim 22 of one of the disks and the edge 34 is then swedged over the rim 22 of the other disk by a suitable mechanism. The terminal is then ready to be attached to a wall.

For attaching to the wall various means may be employed. The ferrule 30 may be welded or soldered to a wall or the ferrule may be attached by swedging the edge 33 over the wall as shown at 33 in Figure 1.

Although certain specific embodiments of this invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that many modifications thereof are possible.

I claim:

1. An insulated terminal comprising, a conductor having two oppositely extending leg portions to which other conductors may be attached and an enlarged portion intermediate the two leg portions, at least two insulating parts, one on each side of the enlarged portion of said conductor, said insulating parts when held together being adapted to cooperate to hold the enlarged portion of the conductor and prevent movement of said conductor with respect to said insulating parts, an elastic washer between the adjacent portions of the insulating parts and means surrounding said insulating parts adapted to hold them together about said conductor.

2. An insulated terminal comprising, a conductor having two oppositely extending leg portions to which other conductors may be attached and an enlarged portion intermediate the two leg portions, two disks of insulating material,

each of said disks containing a small orifice adapted to receive the smaller legs of said conductor but adapted to prevent passage of the enlarged portion of said conductor therethrough, each of said disks also containing an enlarged depression adjacent said orifice adapted to surround a part of said enlarged portion, and a shouldered metal ferrule surrounding said insulating disks adapted to securely hold the latter together about said conductor.

3. An insulated terminal comprising, a conductor having two oppositely extending leg portions to which other conductors may be attached and an enlarged portion intermediate the two leg portions, two disks of steatite material, each of said disks containing a small orifice adapted to receive the smaller legs of said conductor but adapted to prevent passage of the enlarged portion of said conductor therethrough, each of said disks also containing an enlarged depression adjacent said orifice adapted to surround a part of said enlarged portion, an elastic washer between the adjacent portions of said disks, and a shouldered metal ferrule surrounding the said insulating disks and said elastic washer and adapted to securely hold the insulating disks and washer together.

4. An insulated terminal comprising, a conductor having two oppositely extending leg portions to which other conductors may be attached and an enlarged portion intermediate the two leg portions, two disks of glass bonded mica each of said disks containing a small orifice adapted to receive the smaller legs of said conductor but adapted to prevent passage of the enlarged portion of said conductor therethrough, each of said disks also containing an enlarged depression adjacent said orifice adapted to surround a part of said enlarged portion, an elastic washer between the adjacent portions of the insulating disks and a shouldered metal ferrule surrounding said insulating disks and said elastic washer and adapted to securely hold the insulating disks and washer together.

EDWIN MOSTHAF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,236,188 Lightfoot Aug. 7, 1917 2,305,150 Fearon Dec. 15, 1942 2,315,492 Anderson et a1 Apr. 6, 1943 2,431,308 Cole Nov. 25, 1947 2,431,951 Mauerer Dec. 2, 1947 

